Shane Gillis apologises for accidental F-bomb on 'SNL' but faces bigger backlash over past racist remarks

From the Newshound archive · first published 11 October 2026 · last updated 12 October 2026.

Comedian Shane Gillis accidentally dropped the F-word during a live 'Saturday Night Live' sketch based on Dr. Seuss's 'Green Eggs and Ham', visibly startling himself before the studio audience laughed and applauded. Gillis, who was hosting the show for the third time, apologised twice — once mid-sketch and again at the end of the night. The real controversy, however, centres not on the slip but on his 2019 firing from SNL over resurfaced racist jokes.

Gillis played a son defending his father, played by Mikey Day, from a pushy Sam-I-Am when the expletive slipped out undetected by censors.

Mikey Day's character called Gillis a 'loser' who 'said a bad word' live on air, neatly folding the gaffe into the sketch itself.

Gillis was originally fired from SNL as a newly announced cast member in 2019 after racist remarks he had made previously came back to haunt him.